Cross-party commission to visit Northern Ireland as Prime Minister continues Protocol misinformation campaign

Members of the cross-party, cross-industry UK Trade and Business Commission will visit Northern Ireland on 3rd March to gather evidence from business leaders and port officials on trade under the Protocol.

While evidence sessions of the Commission are normally held online, the special visit was announced after continued disagreement over the Protocol came to a head last week, when the resignation of Northern Ireland’s First Minister Paul Givan followed the DUP’s Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots instructing officials to halt checks on goods arriving from Great Britain. These checks are a requirement under the Protocol which was agreed by the European Union and the United Kingdom in January 2020 as a way to prevent the necessity for a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The delegation will gather evidence from businesses and port officials operating under the NI Protocol which the Commission will use to make direct recommendations to both Liz Truss and Maroš Šefčovič on ways the Brexit deal can be improved for businesses and consumers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since launching in April 2021, the Commission, with secretariat from the internationalist campaign group Best for Britain, has so far made more than 50 recommendations to the UK Government. 

At PMQs on 26th January the Prime Minister claimed that the Northern Ireland Protocol was responsible for surcharges on Christmas cards being sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. However, Government Ministers could later provide no examples of where this had taken place when asked to do so in a Parliamentary question from Hilary Benn MP.

Hilary Benn MP, who will lead the delegation, said

“The serious developments over the last few weeks have underlined the urgent need to find a lasting solution to the real problems being caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol. It’s really important therefore that negotiations focus on the facts. Tensions are inflamed enough as it is.

“We hope that the evidence we hear on our visit and any recommendations we can make will help chart a pragmatic way through and provide workable solutions for all sides, and in particular for people and businesses in Northern Ireland.”

Aodhán Connolly, member of the UK Trade and Business Commission and Director of the NI retail Consortium, said

“At every turn, businesses in Northern Ireland have tried to make the protocol work and now we need stability not stunts.

“All parties must remain committed to finding a long-term solution and any proposals  must be informed by the people and businesses who have been operating under the protocol and understand the real-life impacts on trade.”